My Story
I can talk horses and hooves all day.
I’m much less inclined to talk about myself. But when I choose professionals for my own horses - the individual matters. So here we go!
My name is Georgina. I have a BSc in Equine Sport Science. I’m a Student Equine Podiatrist and I’m a slave to four horses. In the past I’ve spent a year as a Working Pupil at an Event and Dressage yard and have previously evented, competed British Dressage and more recently competed in Side Saddle. I have an interest in classical dressage and a passion for finding new and exciting places to go hacking - we love an adventure.
These stories always start with "there was this horse" and that horse for me is Solo (white blaze). We bought him when he was three and I was sixteen and he took me to places I didn't know I needed to go. We went to University together to do an Equine Sport Science degree. I spent a year with Ruth Edge as a working pupil. We have done dressage to Medium, Evented to BE100 and more recently competed in Side Saddle Equitation classes and turned our hand to Classical Dressage. He isn't the flashiest horse, but he always tries really hard and is a brilliantly fun friend.
He has always been an excellent communicator and when he lost his sparkle and started pointedly pointing his toes and glaring at me it became obvious it was time for me to embark on the next step of my Solo-led learning.
I have always been fastidious about hoofcare - searching out the best farriers I could find and being all too aware that good hoofcare is essential if you want a sound horse.
My farrier, who had done a good job for me in the past and had been chosen because I liked his work, dismissed my concerns with a “he just has weak feet”.
But Solo hadn’t had weak hooves as a young horse, they were what would be termed “rock crunching”. We had done everything without shoes until he was six. He was only shod on veterinary advice because of an abscess and had remained shod for the following seven years (how I wish I had asked “why?” then).
I was fortunate to have a young horse around the same time (Pod - no blaze) who had excellent feet - they reminded me of Solo’s before he was shod. And I noticed in one cycle of him being shod that his heels, frogs and digital cushions were getting weaker. And so I set to work reading, finding information and asking "WHY?".
Everything I read suggested that the shoes were to blame and so mind made up, Pod’s shoes came back off and the structures returned to their strong and functioning former selves.
I dithered more about taking Solo's shoes off, I knew his feet were sufficiently weak that it wasn't going to be a quick fix and that it was going to take much longer to undo the damage of seven years of shoeing.
He went straight into boots and pads, I overhauled his management, tweaked and fiddled with his diet, hand walked him, led him off other horses, worked him on varied surfaces and picked up the rasp myself to help make the necessary nudges in the right direction. All whilst watching, fascinated, as his hooves changed and developed and became more capable. My horse whose feet were "too weak to cope" now regularly completes 12+ mile rides in the peak district over challenging terrain often without boots at all.
My other horses had their shoes off along the way, Popcorn (chestnut) who had the most dreadfully underrun heels. And Mickey (grey) the former Laminitic with a clubfoot who I had sworn would never be able to be barefoot. Both now sound. Popcorn also rock-crunching and Mickey is still booted in front on more challenging terrain.
Four horses with very different backgrounds, pathologies and histories all now sound and capable.
Along the journey I decided I needed to learn how to do this barefoot thing properly and applied for the EPTrain Level 5 Diploma. I have completed the final year of the course and my case studies are all underway. I am available to take on new clients and if you think I can help you, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.